Carbonating device



OCL 18, 1955 H. o. REICHARDT CARBONATING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Shea?l 2 FiledOct. 5, 1951 INVENTOR.

H066 0. VC//HROT ArroR/vfns United States Patent O CARBONATING DEVICEHugo 0. Reichardt, Detroit, Mich.

Application October 3, 1951, Seal No. 249,536

7 Claims. (Cl. 261-21) This invention relates to a carbonating apparatusand has as its object the provision of such a device with no movingparts.

Most carbonating units in use today use stirring mechanism and othermoving parts to obtain intimate association between the carbonating gasand the liquid. The present device obtains complete carbonation with nomoving parts within the unit to get out of order or to wear in use. Theunit is also adaptable to different degrees of carbonation as desiredand to easy adjustment for varying capacities.

Another object of the present device is a carbonator in which gas cannotow through. The only outlet needed is the faucet outlet. Gas cannot,therefore, waste through vents.

Briey the invention includes a series of tank tiers vertically arranged.The bottom one has a tiered series of discs receiving gas in spacestherebetween and discharging gas through small openings into the bottomtank. Liquid in spray form enters the bottom tank and the gas and liquidpass upwardly through walls between the tiered tanks through turbulencetubes adapted to further mix the two. A faucet in the top tank taps thecarbonated liquid.

Drawings accompany the disclosure and the various views thereof may bebriey described as:

Figure l, a vertical sectional view of the assembled unit.

Figure 2, a horizontal section on line 2 2 of Fig. l.

Figure 3, a horizontal section on line 3-3 of Fig. l.

The purpose of this device is the carbonation of liquids almostinstantaneously and without any mechanical aid such as paddles or otherstirring mechanisms. The required turbulence for the action is createdby the manner in which the liquid and gas is introduced into the device,and the manner in which it is moved from one chamber to another untilthe desired degree of carbonation is obtained. As shown in the drawings,the device consists of a primary mixing chamber 20 which has acylindrical wall portion 22 and an integral bottom 24 provided with aninlet neck 26. Above the primary chamber 20 are cylindrical wall portionunits 30, 32, and 34, capped by a top plate 36. Beneath the wallportions of the assembled unit are separator plates 40, 42, and 44.Suitable gaskets are positioned between the wall units and the separatorplates, and the entire device is held together by tie rods 50 whichcooperate with a ilange 52 at the top edge of unit 20 and the edgeflange 54 of the top plate 36. Tension may be placed on these rods bynuts 58 to draw the entire assembly together in a waterand gas-proofcondition.

The shape of the Walls of the unit 32 is such that axially extendingaligning anges 60 position the adjacent units 30 and 34 with respect tothe unit 32. The ange 52 on the bottom unit serves as a locator for unit30, and the ilange 54 on the top plate locates the plate with respect tounit 34.

As shown in Fig. 1, the unit above described forms rice chambers A, B,C, and D, vertically superimposed on each other in the order named. Thechamber A, referred to as the primary mixing chamber, has a tangentialinlet for water shown at 64, having a threaded portion 66 to receive aconnection pipe. A nozzle or spray device 67 is fashioned to break upwater as it enters the chamber A into a fine spray to facilitate mixtureof the liquid with the gas. Two vertical baille plates 68 and 70 arepositioned in diametrically opposed positions in chamber A in relationto a diffusing device which will be described later.

The gas inlet neck 26 is tapped at 72 to receive the gas inlet pipe.This neck portion is also tapped at 74 to receive the end of a bolthaving a hollow shank portion 76 and a head portion 78. lThis boltserves to hold in place four diffusing plates, 81, 82, 83, and 84. Theseplates have an undercut portion centrally positioned leaving a narrowflange portion at the periphery of one surface, each flange portionbeing knurled at 86 on this surface (see Fig. 3). Thus, as the platesare stacked coaxially in Fig. l, there is formed ilat circular chambers91, 92, 93, and 94. The knurled portions on the periphery surfacessurrounding these chambers are cut from two to iive thousandths of aninch deep so that these chambers are connected to the primary mixingchamber A through small radially extending passages formed between theplate 81 and the bottom 24 and between the other plates and its nextadjacent lower neighboring plate. Each of the chambers, 91, 92, 93, and94, are connected to the opening in the shaft 76 by diametrical holes 96(see Fig. 3). Y

The bales 68 and 70, previously referred to, are staggered on theirinside edges to conform to the stepped shape of the plates S1, 82, 83,and 84.

Each of the separator plates 40, 42, and 44, are pierced by a pluralityof tubes which extend vertically through the plates and terminate attheir upward end in fiattened sections 102, leaving a relatively narrowpinched opening 104 extending toward the center of each particularchamber. In the top plate 36, a safety block 106 of well knownconstruction is inserted to relieve excessive pressures. Also centrallyof this plate 36 is a faucet 10S controlled by a valve handle 110.

In the operation of the device, gas and water are introduced into theprimary chamber A through the inlets 26 and 64. Suitable pressurecontrol units known to the art can be used to control the relativepressures of the entering fluids. The gas is diffused into chamber Athrough the small openings formed by the knurled portions of plates 81to 84, and the water, in sprayed condition, will be intimately mixedwith the gas due to the turbulence caused by the entering water and theaction of the bales 68 and 70.

The mixed gas and water will be forced upwardly through the tubes 100 inplate 40 by the pressure of the fluids in the receiving chamber A. Atthe restricted outlets 104 of the tubes any unmixed gas and water willbe forced together as it enters the next adjacent chamber B. Also therewill be considerable turbulence in each chamber since the restrictedopenings 104 are directed toward each other and toward the center ofeach chamber. Thus the gas will move upwardly through each chamber inturn until it reaches the outlet chamber D. The mixture of the gas andthe liquid will be increased as it moves from one chamber to another andthus the degree of carbonation can be increased by adding additionalchambers to the unit. Due to the pressure in the unit the carbonatedliquid may always be tapped olf by opening the valve 110 and admittingthe liquid to the faucet 108.

It will thus be seen that I have disclosed a carbonating device havingno moving parts within the carbonating chambers so that'there is nothingto get out of order, or to wear. The required turbulence in the mixingof the'uids is created by the uids themselvesas they enter each chamber,and the construction of the unitin individual sections makes itextremely exible for various carbonation requirements.

What I claim is:

1. A device for intimately associating Va liquid and a gas whichcomprises a liquid retaining tank formed of a plurality of encirclingwall units tiered vertically, horizontal separator plates between eachencircling wall unit, a gas inlet in the bottom unit, a water inlet inthe bottom unit, a mixed fluid outlet in the top unit, and transferVmeans for each unit comprising tubes in said separator plates extendinginto the unit on each side of said plate and having a narrowrestrictedopeningv into the upper unit in each case to cause intimateassociation of gas and water passing through said tubes by reason of thepressure of both fluids, said gas inlet comprising a plurality ofstacked discs, each shaped to provide a chamber between itself and anadjacent disc, a peripheral knurled surface on each `disc facing anadjacent disc and having the knurls terminating at .the chamber betweensaid discs to provide a plurality of tiny gas openings to the interiorof the bottom unit, and means to introduce gas under pressure from asource to each of said chambers.

2. A device as described in claim l in which the stacked discs each havean undercut portion in one facing surface surrounded by a knurledperipheral surface contacting an adjacent disc to form tiny openingsfrom the chamber gas which comprises a liquid retaining tank formed of aformedV by the undercut portion and an adjacent disc to the walls ofsaid bolt to register with said chambers, and

means to connect the interior of said bolt to a source of gas underpressure.

4. A device as described in claim 2 in which each discY decreases indiameter upwardly.

`5. A device for intimately associating a liquid and a plurality ofencircling wall units tiered vertically, the bottom unit having a closedbottom, the top unit having a closed top, horizontal separator platesbetween each encircling wall unit, means to hold said units together inaligned, sealed relation, a water inlet in the bottom unit to introducewater under presure in aline spray, a gas inlet to introduce gas underpressure through a multitude of line openings into the bottom unit, amixed uid outlet in the topunit, and means in said plates to transfergas and liquid from one unit to another upwardly by reason of thepressure of both iiuids, said last means comprising tubes projecting,throughV said plates from the interior of one unit to the interior ofanother,

the opening in the tube at the upper end being restricted to causeintimate association of gas and water passing through saidrtube.

6. A device as claimed Vin claim 5 in which the restricted openings ofthe tubes are directed centrally and horizontally to increase theturbulence in the receiving chamber.

7. A liquid carbonating device comprising a tank with a plurality ofsuperposed chambers connected by restricted openings, a water inlet inthe bottom chamber to introduce water under pressure in a fine spray, agas inlet to introduce gas under pressure through a multitude of tineopenings into the bottom chamber, and a mixed iluidV outlet in the topchamber, said gas inlet comprising a plurality of stacked discs, eachhaving an undercut portion in one facing surface surrounded by a knurledperipheral surface on said same face surface contacting a'face surfaceof an adjacent disc to form tiny openings from the chamber formed by theundercut portion and an adjacent disc to the interior of the bottomunit.Y

References Cited in the le of Vthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 889,516Fox June 2, 1908 918,567 Marek Apr. 20, 1909 1,209,490 Pindstofte Dec.19, 1916 1,567,456 Newton Dec. 29, 1925 2,078,288 Sherman Apr. 27, 19372,229,441 Carlson Jan. 21, 1941

